Justice League (2017)

Warner Bros. has a lot riding on 'Justice League' the newest film based upon their DC Comics Universe. The film had a troubled production almost from the start, from personal tragedies to extensive re-shoots along with some bad press. All signs were pointing to yet another missed opportunity here, despite the previous film 'Wonder Woman' blowing away everyone's expectations and becoming one of the best films this year. 'Justice League' is not 'Wonder Woman' by any stretch, but it is an enjoyable bit of cinematic fluff that will entertain you and leave most satisfied. 

The best aspect of 'Justice League' is that it takes some steps back, seemingly learning from its past mistakes. There's no name dropping or exhausting Easter eggs or set ups for future films here, it keeps its focus on the main story at hand leaving all that for later. The film also drops the 'Nolan-esque' serious and darker nature of 'Batman v. Superman' and goes for a more fun atmosphere. This keeps the film at a fun and quick pace making sure to move along and not stumble behind with exposition.


 The score by Danny Elfman is also a big highlight, with the famed composer implementing his theme to the classic 1989 'Batman' film as well as bits of John Williams score from 'Superman'. I recommend picking up the score online if you enjoy Elfman's work. The cast all do well in their respective roles, especially Ezra Miller as The Flash who's freaking hilarious. Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill sadly get rather short ended in my opinion. Affleck is in the film for the majority of it compared to Cavill, but he seems almost secondary in his own movie. I would like to see more of his portrayal come out in the upcoming 'Batman' solo film. Jason Mamoa does Aquaman rather well, giving us a great representation on screen for the first time. It's nothing special, but it at least establishes the character as the badass he truly is. Finally, Gal Gadot I felt was the strongest of the cast, bringing strong energy to the role and she hasn't lost one bit of her edge.


This quicker pace also hinders the film a bit however, with the biggest issue being the main villain of the piece Steppenwolf. He's a completely throwaway character with no personality other than shouting and rage. I will admit that I don't know the character that well but he has to be far more interesting than this. He doesn't seem like a threat at all to these heroes, especially during the climatic battle. You think that the movie is building up to the true villain (Darkseid) waiting for the big reveal at the end credits but no, it simply hints at the Legion of Doom instead, leaving the 'Justice League' movie without a memorable villain. The movie also doesn't really expand much on any of these new characters with the exception of Barry Allen who seemed to get the most backstory. It's not that the film needs to be any longer to add to them, but rather a more even spread of the time they already have would have worked a bit better.

'Justice League' could have been a disaster of epic proportions that would have ruined the DC Universe. While it's full of big flaws, the film seems to just want to entertain its audience unlike the previous films which were trying too hard to be edgy and serious. Yes, it's nice to have 'The Dark Knight' but sometimes, I just want 'Batman Returns' too and 'Justice League' is like that. It's like the old superhero films I grew up watching and it reminded me of those times, leaving me satisfied. It's just a shame that several aspects of this epic piece was so underwhelming. I do recommend seeing it but I wouldn't expect high quality out of it like 'Thor' but rather just some good popcorn entertainment.

7.5